The town centre Christmas lights are twinkling and advent calendars are in play at last. December is here and it's only three weeks to go!
There are lots of holly berries around this year, I notice, so Christmas wreathes will look really colourful. They – and lots of lovely bushy Christmas trees - are on sale now in Abergavenny’s market, and down at McDonalds Garden Centre in Llanfoist. http://www.thebestof.co.uk/local/abergavenny/business-guide/feature/mcdonalds-garden-centre/39028
The Romans would hang wreathes on their doors as a sign of victory, but there’s also an old Anglo Saxon tradition of gathering and hanging up evergreen branches in the dark days of December, as a symbol of strength to give people hope that the light will return in Spring.
Traditionally, evergreen trees with decorated with candles for the same reason. Nowadays, of course, lighting real candles on a tree indoors in not a good idea, but there are lots of ways of making a Christmas tree sparkle.
The Victorians really went overboard on this, with trees as tall as the room they were standing in, crammed with glitter, tinsel and toys. Nowadays lots of our decorations are slightly more restrained than that, but it’s still heart-warming to see a lighted Christmas tree twinkling in a window or on the street.
I’ve seen some beautifully decorated Abergavenny shop windows this year. I particularly like the tree in The Celtic Warehouse at 32 Frogmore Street – it’s hung with little Welsh Love Spoons and pretty heart-shaped lavender bags. And their stock would make marvellous presents too...
Decorations don’t need to cost a lot – children love making things to hang on the tree, not forgetting an angel, fairy or star for the top. So it’s time for us all to get the tree and start decking the halls – not forgetting a sprig or two of mistletoe!